ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. land — ground
  3. can — to be able to
  4. root — the cause
  5. last — final
  6. pitch — completely
  7. lean — thin
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. band — a ring
  10. can — a tin
  11. root — of a word
  12. net — in sport
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. net — for catching
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. land — a country
  18. last — to go on
  19. land — to come down
  20. net — after costs
  21. band — a music group
  22. last — finally
  23. root — of a plant
  24. band — a rubber band

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com